Top 10 Players that should be picked for the 2012 NHL All-Star Game -Part 2
Discussing Florida Panthers’ top forward, Tomas Fleischmann, in the last part of this feature, we discussed that having veteran experience and guidance can certainly take a team to new heights which the 27-year-old has managed to do with the team thus far into the 2011-2012 National Hockey League (NHL) regular season.
Another way of looking at it is that some players are more of a catalyst for their team, since they might be termed veterans because of their lack of years in the major league, but nonetheless, they are equally as capable of leading teams.
The next player is testimony to the fact that have years of experience is not always something which makes a franchise in the NHL great, it is almost always about vision and the ability to deliver, which is not something which every player possess and certainly is not something you learn but you have naturally.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (Centre, Edmonton Oilers)
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins might have the experience of only having played 21 games in the NHL so far, but he certainly has proved that his presence on the ice is more than enough for his players to start shooting and winning games.
Nugent-Hopkins was drafted as the top pick during round-one of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft by the Edmonton Oilers, a team which struggled to leave the number 15 spot in the Western Conference last season and is now one of the top competition teams in the league.
With his amazing ability to not only score, but to also set up his teammates to score, Nugent-Hopkins has established himself as a visionary player at the young age of 18, something which led the Oilers to keep him on the team right after the draft instead of sending him back to mature even further.
Having him on the team as allowed the Edmonton Oilers to see what being above the playoff line in a conference is really all about as they now stand at number seven, tied with the number five Nashville Predators with 24 points.
In 21 games played, Ryan-Nugent Hopkins boasts an amazing record of 22 points ( 8 goals, 14 assists) and a plus minus rating of three, making this season certainly a breakthrough for him into the league.
The Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada native, has the potential to repeat another Steven Stamkos or Sidney Crosby, but as the season progresses, Nugent-Hopkins has established a much more unique style of play for himself.
Sadly, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is not on the top rankings when it comes to players being voted for, which makes his potential position on the All-Star team highly doubtful, which can obviously change if his name gets votes added to it.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins had a hat trick into his first few games and that too against Roberto Luongo in the net for the Vancouver Canucks, which is certainly an amazing achievement and in the past few contests, he has shown a huge significance in performances.
He picked up four points as the Edmonton Oilers slid to a huge, 9-2, victory over the 2010 Stanley Cup champions, the Chicago Blackhawks, and more recently, 6-2, against the veteran Nashville Predators club, probing that it was not a fluke.
As the season progresses, Edmonton is sure to climb the ladder, making Nugent-Hopkins a top-class player.
To be continued in Part 3...
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own and in no way represent Bettor.com's official editorial policy.
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